Buggy-shaft tug.



B. F. LEFTER.

BUGGY SHAFT TUG. APPLICATION FILED JULY 23, 1912.

Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

ami/imam CO.,WASHINQTON D c COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH FTQ.

BENJAMIN F. LEF'IER, 0F DALEVILLE, INDIANA.

BUGGY-SHAFT 'IUG.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. Lnr'rnn, acitizen of the United States, residing at Daleville, in the county ofDelaware, State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Buggy-Shaft Tugs; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in buggyshaft tugs and the purpose thereof is to provide a novel and simpledevice for more readily coupling or attaching and detaching the shaft orthill thereto and prevent the necessity of slipping the tug over the endof the shaft or tii With the above and other objects in view, theinvention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts to behereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved tug holding a shaft orthill. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a view similar toFig. 1 but showing the tug in an opened position for detaching orengaging the shaft. Fig. 4 is a central vertical sectional view of thedevice. Fig. 5 is a top plan view. Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view onthe line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

In carrying the invention into practice, the tug is formed of a backsection 10 in the form of a hook vertically disposed and constructed inthe form of a flat tube or sleeve 11 for receiving the supporting strapsor billets 12 therethrough and securely anchoring the same through themedium of screws 13. The lower portion of the sleeve 11 is provided witha depending loop 14 for the attachment of a belly band and the shaft orthill 15 supported upon the lower supporting portion 16, said portionbeing substantially horizontally disposed and centrally bifurcatedasshown at 17, said portion extending into the shank of the hook withthe exception of an intermediate connection 18 which serves to reinforcethe hook at this point and the central lower portion of the supportingportion 16 is connected to an apertured lug 19 receiving a ring 20 forattachment to the hold back Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 23, 1912.

Patented Apr. 1 t, 191%. Serial No. 711,156.

straps in lieu of wrapping the same around the shaft.

The free extremities of the furcations forming the supporting portion 16are of circular form and provided with upper and lower shoulders 21 and22 respectively produced by transverse incisions or recesses in saidportion and a front section or looking member 23 is provided with areduced curved tongue 2 1 pivoted between said extremities through themedium of a bolt 25 so as to move into and out of the bifurcation. Thefront section of the locking member 23 is increased in thickness at itslower portion and provided with tapered extensions 26 upon oppositesides of the tongue 24 to snugly fit the circular extremities of thebifurcations and to engage the respective shoulders to limit themovement of said locking sections when open or closed.

The back or shank portion of the hook forming the tug is provided with aforward extension 27 near its upper end with its outer extremityterminating approximately centrally of width of the tug loop and havingits upper portion provided with a central recess 28 within which theinner end of a spring catch 29 is secured, while the free end of thecatch is enlarged as shown at 30 and provided with a shoulder or engaging portion 31 engageable within the notch 32 in the free end of thefront section or locking portion 23. It will also be observed that thesenotches 22 and 32 communicate with the free end of a locking portion 23which is provided with an outstanding shoulder 33 to properly guide theshank into the notch and prevent lateral displace ment of the parts.

In the use of the device, when it is desired to place the thills orshafts within the tugs, the spring catches are disengaged from thelocking portions, particularly the notches thereof and said lockingsections are moved outwardly so as to dispose the tongues 2% in avertical position or substantially so. The shafts or thills are placedupon the locking sections and into the tongues 2% so as to depress thesame by their weight, between the bifurcations of the hooks and move thelocking sections upwardly for automatic engagement by the catches and itwill be further evident that by disengaging the catches, the lockingsections may be swung outwardly for removing the shafts or thills and inthis operation, the tongues 2% act as levers to be readily removed.Durin the respective attachment or removal of the shafts or thills, theportions 26 of the locking members serve to engage the shoulders 21 and22 and limit the movements of the locking sections to a locked orunlocked position and thus sustain a great portion of the weight of theshafts or thills.

Having thus fully described this invention what I claim as new anddesire to protect by Letters Patent is A thill tug including asubstantially hook shaped member having a vertical shank portion in theform of a sleeve, an outwardly extending lug on the upper end of theshank, means carried by the said sleeve for attachment to the billet ofa harness, the lower end of the sleeve being provided with an integralloop for the attachment of a belly band, the lower portion of the hookbeing bifurcated and having an intermediate depending connectingportion, a ring suspended from said connecting portion centrally of thelengths of the bifurcations, the extremities of the bifurcations havingcircular heads and having upper and lower shoulders, a front lockingsection having a reduced tongue pivoted between said heads to operate inthe bifurcation, and also provided with oppositely extendingtransversely concavo-convexed portions arranged to engage the shouldersand limit the movement of the locking section when opened, the free endof the locking section engaging the said lug to limit the movement ofsaid section toward closed position, and catch means carried by thebillet attached member for holding the locking section in a position toform a loop.

In testimony whereof, I 'afliX my signature, 1n presence of twowitnesses. 1

BENJAMIN Fj EFTER; WVitnesses: i

ELRAY SHEDRAN, J osnrn: MINNICK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. i

